Lesson 1 (from Chapters 1 and 2)

Objective

Setting. "The Maze" takes place in various places in the west United States in the present. Much of "The Maze" occurs in Utah in the Canyonlands National Park.

The objective of this lesson is to look at setting.

Lesson

1. Homework. Students will research the Canyonlands National Park writing a brief paper on the park and its history.

2. Class discussion. Could "The Maze" have been set anywhere? How does the setting make this a unique story? How do the people in Utah differ from the students' hometown? How did the setting affect the characters? The plot? The themes? Why is the setting important?

3. Group work. In groups students will research a setting that might be similar and discuss the ways in which Rick's life would have been different set in another time or place.

4. Class work. Students will write a short paper on how the town in...